A total of 30 adult female Sprague–Dawley rats were equally and randomly separated into three groups as follows: sham, IR and IR + crocin (40 mg/kg/day orally for 10 days). 24 h after electrocauterization of bilateral vertebral arteries, bilateral common carotid arteries were occluded for 30 min and reperfused for 30 min. Oxidative stress parameters (TAS, TOS, OSI), haematoxylin and eosin staining, caspase-3 and hypoxia-inducible factor-1 alpha (HIF-1α) expressions and TUNEL methods were investigated.
There was a significant difference between the IR and sham groups by means of OSI level, histopathological scoring, caspase-3, HIF-1α and TUNEL-positive cell parameters. We have also observed that pre-treatment with crocin reduced these parameter levels back to the baseline.
The data obtained from the present study suggest that crocin may exert antiapoptotic, antioxidant and protective effects in IR-mediated brain injury induced by four-vessel occlusion. To the best of our knowledge, this would be the first study to be conducted in this field.